Applicator for nail polish remover and the like having wringing means thereon



Sept. 3, 1957 a. L. SADLER 2,804,636

APPLICATUR FOR NAIL POLISH REMOVER AND THE LIKE HAVING WRINGING MEANSTHEREON Filed June 15. 1953 1N VEN TOR:

APPLICATOR FOR NAIL POLISH REMQVER AND THE LIKE HAVING MEANS THEREONBernice Louise Sadler, San Jose, Calif. Application June 15, 1953,Serial No. 361,609 3 Claims. (Cl. 15.1 19) Th in ntion e ates to appcator a mo e par i u: ler y to .de e s o h s elass fer he d n a ehense ehe like saturated with nail polish remover or simiiar fluids tofacilitate application thereof.

he i e o t e pr e t v ntio i p rt la y s fil n pply n po h em ve o onefi r a l W thout teheh ns er affecting he poli h ha h been app e o an ror diaee fi e a ln the object is to p ov a sp e hold r hi h willsecurely hold the sponge and yet permit squeezing of the sponge toextract nail polish therefrom after it has been removed from ones fingernail.

Another object is to provide an applicator having a pair of scissor armsand a prong holding means associated therewith for securing the spongethereto in such a manh hat h p e l o ma ly h d t e i r a in openposition.

Still ehe he e i i o p o de in an ppliea e e he e r a m pe av n a spo hed h 'mea a ee et therewith i sueh a man e o a t as a s ep limitingmovement of the scissor arms apart by swelling of the sponge.

These and other objects and advantages will appear more fully in thefollowing description in the light of the drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an applicator embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an applicator similar to that of Fig. 1with a slight modification therein;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the applicator shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the modified form of applicator shown inFig. 3 and taken substantially along lines 4-4 thereof.

The device embodying the present invention is generally designated inthe drawings. For purposes of clarity and convenience like referencenumerals indicate like parts in each of the disclosures of Figs. 1, 2and 3, with the addition of a single prime exponent to such numbers onthe form shown in Fig. 2 and a double prime exponent on these of Fig. 3,any difference between them being indicated by independent numerals.

Broadly, the device 10 comprises a pair of scissor arms 11 and 12pivotally connected as at 13, midway their ends in the conventionalmanner. Each scissor arm 11 and 12 is provided at its upper end with afinger engaging tab 14 and 15 and at its opposite or lower end with asponge engaging pad 16 and 17 respectively. In addition to theforegoing, the sponge engaging pad on one scissor arm 12 carries a rod18 which extends from such pad 17 in a plane coincident to the arc ofmovement of the latter upon manipulation of the scissor arms 11 and 12.

In each of the forms of the invention illustrated, the rod 18 is of alength sufficient to receive a spherical sponge S, preferably about A ofan inch in diameter, and to extend therefrom and through a slot 19formed in the pad 16 on the opposite scissor arm 11. In this manner thesponge S is attached to the applicator to assure that ice it will notfall out from between the pads 16TH or otherwise become displacedrelative to them. Moreover, it should here be noted that the sponge,being resilient or sponge-like, serves to urge the pads 16 and 17 awayfrom each other and to thereby maintain the finger engaging tabs 14-15on the corresponding scissor arms 11 1;2 in normal or spread apartposition.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, the scissor arms 11 and 12are formed from a single strap of material which may be metal, plasticor any other material suitable for manufacture. As seen in Fig. l, thefinger tabs 14-715 as well as the spqnge engaging pads 16:17 are eachformed integrally with their corresponding scissor arm 11 or 12, as thecase may be. This is accomplished by merely twisting the strap materialto dispose the tabs and pads transverse to the plane of movement of thescissor arms.

In the case of the applicator shown in Fig. 2, the sponge engaging pads16'17 are shown as being forged or cast as an integral part of therespective scissor arms, while in Fig. 3, the pads 16" and 17" areformed by several convolutions shaped from the end of the heavy Wirefrom which the scissor arms 11"12 are made. In either event it will benoted that the sponge engaging pads are disposed transverse to the planeof swinging movement of the respective scissor arms so as to properlyengage the sponge S.

The finger engaging tabs 14 15 in the form illustrated in Fig. 2 areeither forged or cast with respect to the scissor arms 11 and 12 thereinshown, whereas in Fig. 3 the tabs 14-15 on the single wire type areformed by bending the opposite ends of the same into a shape suitable tofit the thumb and first finger of the user in the same manner asillustrated in Fig. 1'.

The rod 18 illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown as a tapered pin having anenlarged end 20 and a threaded opposite end 21 of reduced diameter. Theenlarged end 20 is slightly larger than the width of the slot 19 in thesponge engaging pad 16 but of sufiicient width to permit the re: ducedend 21 of rod 18 to pass therethrough. In assem-. bly, the reduced endof the rod 18 is passed through the slot 19 in the pad 16 as well as thesponge S and then threadedly secured into a tapped bore 22 in the othersponge engaging pad 17. In this manner, although the resiliency of thesponge S serves to urge the pads 16 and 17 apart, the enlarged end 20 ofthe rod 18. being unable to pass through the slot 19 limits the extentto which the pads as well as the scissor arms can be separated.

The same arrangernentv can be employed in'connection with the rod 18 andslot 19 shown in Fig. 2. This rod 18' may be threadedly secured to thepad 17 somewhat as illustrated in Fig. 1; or it may be fastened to thepad 17' by welding, cementing or by peening the head of its extended end(not shown) in any manner well known in the art. In the case of thearrangement shown inFig. 3, the rod 18" is a continuation of the freeend of the scissor arm 12" on which it is formed. As seen in Fig. 3, therod 18" extends inwardly from the pad 17" and has its free end 20"disposed to extend through the slot 19" formed by the inner or terminalconvolution by which the pad 16" is formed on the opposite arm 11". Ofcourse, the sponge S is impaled upon the rod 18" so as to maintain thesponge in juxtaposition upon the applicator 10". If desired, the freeend 20" of rod 18" which extends beyond the sponge and through the slot19 may be swaged or pinched as at 23 to limit the movement of the pads16" and 17" apart. The pad 16" being formed by convoluted wire, the slot19" can be opened up manually to permit passage of the pinched portion23 of rod 18", but aside from this manual assistance and intentionalenlarg ing of the slot 19", the pinched portion 23 is limited againstpassage therethrough under the normal resiliency of the sponge S.

The applicator provided by the foregoing arrangement (Figs. 1, 2 or 3)is easily manipulated as illustrated in Fig. 1 by grasping the tabs14-45 between the thumb and first finger of one hand to swab the spongeS over the nail of a finger on the other hand or on that of anotherperson. In use, the sponge is saturated with nail polish remover and maybe squeezed lightly by manipulation of the scissor arms to assureagainst dripping of the nail polish remover from the sponge. Afterapplication of nail polish remover to one or several nails, the sponge Smay become tacky with dissolved nail polish. In such event, the sponge Scan be dipped into a dish or pan of nail polish remover fluid, rinsedout by manipulation of the scissor arms 11 and 12 in the foregoingmanner, and the further removal of nail polish from a finger nailcontinued.

If after extensive use the sponge S becomes discolored, unsightly orcaked up with removed nail polish, it can be removed from the applicatorby withdrawal of the rod 18, 18' or 18"from the sponge and a new spongeimpaled upon such rod.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a nail polishremover applicator which is operable in a facile manner to minimizeaccidental removal of polish from one finger nail while finger nailpolish is being removed from the nail of an adjacent finger nail.

While I have described my new nail polish remover applicator in specificdetail it will be apparent that it can be modified, altered and/orvaried in many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. Itherefore desire to avail myself of all modifications, alternations and/or variations as fairly come within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An applicator for nail polish remover or the like comprising a pairof scissor arms pivotally connected midway their ends, a substantiallyfiat finger engaging tab at the upper end of each of said scissor armseach having a contour conforming to the pad of a persons thumb and firstfinger to facilitate manipulation and control of said applicator, asponge engaging pad at the opposite or lower end of each of said scissorarms, one of said sponge engaging pads having a slot formed therethroughin a plane parallel to the arc of swing of said scissor arms, a taperingrod having an enlarged end of greater dimension than the slot insaid'one of said sponge pads for blockage thereby when the reduceddiametered end of said tapering rod is inserted therethrough and securedto the other one of said sponge engaging pads, and a sponge between saidsponge engaging pads impaled upon said rod.

2. An applicator for nail polish remover or the like comprising a pairof scissor arms pivotally connected midway their ends, a substantiallyfiat finger engaging tab at the upper end of each of said scissor armseach having a contour conforming to the pad of a persons thumb and firstfinger to facilitate manipulation and control of said applicator, asponge engaging pad formed integrally with each of said scissor arms atthe opposite or lower end thereof, a rod secured to one of said spongeengaging pads lying in a plane parallel to the arc of swing of saidscissor arms, a sponge impaled upon said rod, said other one of saidsponge engaging pads having a slot formed therethrough to receive thefree end of said rod with sponge impaled thereon, the free end of saidrod itself being enlarged for limiting movement of said scissor armsapart due to swelling of said sponge.

3. An applicator for nail polish remover or the like comprising a pairof scissor arms pivotally connected midway their ends, a sponge engagingpad formed integrally with the adjacent ends of said scissor arms atright angles to the direction of swing thereof, a rod secured to one ofsaid sponge engaging pads lying in a plane parallel to the arc of swingof said scissor arms, a sponge impaled upon said rod, one of said spongeengaging pads having a slot formed therethrough in a plane parallel tothe arc of swing of said scissor arms, said rod being tapered and havingits smaller end of a size to extend through the slot formed in said oneof said pads and its larger end of a size to limit its passage throughthe same, said sponge impaled upon said rod from the smaller endthereof, means for securing the smaller end of said rod to the other oneof said sponge engaging pads whereby said sponge in swelling effectsspreading of said sponge engaging pads apart, and substantially fiatfinger engaging tabs on the opposite adjacent ends of said scissor armshaving a contour conforming to the pad of a persons thumb and firstfinger for facilitating steady holding of said applicator duringmanipulation of said sponge relative to the finger nails on the fingersof the opposite hand of the person using the applicator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS102,865 Rees May 10, 1870 1,316,409 Bahre Sept. 16, 1919 2,630,344Wakefield Mar. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 58,395 Austria Nov. 15, 1912243,064 France Dec. 2, 1946 985,563 France Mar. 14, 1951

